Disorders in Youth and Teens: Bipolar, OCD, Eating, Addiction, Etc.
Post

Disorders in Youth and Teens: Bipolar, OCD, Eating, Addiction, Etc.

Mental health is one of the most important factors that people can take into consideration. Mental health disorders can negatively affect other areas of our lives. Even though people have different susceptibilities to these disorders, everyone can be affected. Youth are especially vulnerable to mental health issues, partly due to the changes that happen to...

Short Days & The Psychological Effect On Teens
Post

Short Days & The Psychological Effect On Teens

While it might seem silly to some, it is well documented that sunlight is a large influencer on the mental health of people young and old alike. The common term for when you start to feel blue when hours of sunlight begin to drop in the winter months is Seasonal Affective Disorder.   Studies have...

Finding Strategies to Deal With the Back-to-School Blues
Post

Finding Strategies to Deal With the Back-to-School Blues

Back-to-school is often a very exciting time for students – a time when they can see their friends again, show off their new wardrobe, and take the new classes that they have been looking forward to since the summer. But school can also be a time when a young person’s depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder...

Self-Harm, Depression & Your Teen
Post

Self-Harm, Depression & Your Teen

Teenage Self-Harming Seeing evidence of your child self-harming, or hurting themselves with intention, can be a terrifying experience for a parent. In addition to the fear, you may be unsure of what to do or say, and want desperately to stop the behaviour. This is a common experience for many parents, as the instances of self-harm...

Youth Depression: What to Know and How to Help
Post

Youth Depression: What to Know and How to Help

“Feeling blue” or feeling “down in the dumps” is a normal part of being a teenager. There are many moments in one’s adolescence when they experience upsets or moments of sadness. Experts remind us that adolescence can be a very unsettling time and teens can be faced with an array of physical, emotional, psychological and...

Could Your Child Be Addicted To Video Games? WHO Announces “Gaming Disorder”
Post

Could Your Child Be Addicted To Video Games? WHO Announces “Gaming Disorder”

In its latest revision to an international disease classification manual the World Health Organization announced “gaming disorder” as a new mental health condition included in the 11th edition of its International Classification of Diseases. Dr. Henrietta Bowden-Jones, a spokesperson for behavioural addictions at Britain’s Royal College of Psychiatrists said,”We come across parents who are distraught,...

Fidget Spinners: Hardly a Solution for ADHD or Anxiety
Post

Fidget Spinners: Hardly a Solution for ADHD or Anxiety

Why all the fuss about fidget spinners?   This year’s summer fad, in Ottawa and around the world, isn’t an exotic toy or a video game. It’s a little, metal device that spins.   That’s right. It spins.   How much entertainment could spinning really provide, in this age of virtual reality mainstreaming and endless...

5 Summer Bonding Ideas to Build A Relationship With Your Teen
Post

5 Summer Bonding Ideas to Build A Relationship With Your Teen

Summer is here in Ottawa, and soon our high-schooler’s will be out of school!   Summer vacation is a yearly occasion parents see as an opportunity to grow and strengthen their relationships with their children. Parents cook up a variety of ideas, some of which succeed and many of which fail. Learn from these experiences with Ottawa Youth Counselling to ensure...